DARLO 03

I opened the closed drawer beneath the desk that seemed to be set up for simple work.

Inside were three unopened letters.

Of course—letters shoved into a drawer. Classic.

You have found 700 cash from ‘letters left unread because they weren’t wanted.’

Ding!

With a cheerful sound effect, a cash acquisition notification popped up.

“So this is how you find cash—along with clues.”

It really is exactly like how a detective investigates.

Thankfully, since the system provides basic information, it wasn’t too difficult.

Alright, I’ve got the hang of it.

The moderate level of challenge actually made it fun.

I casually opened the letters and read them.

“I’ve sent the peaches harvested this year.
If you need cherries, reply.”

“The Viscount requests a response.”

“Upon reading this letter, visit the Larmin Viscount’s estate immediately.”

…That’s it?

Isn’t that way too short and stiff for letters?

It sounds more like orders given to a subordinate.

Was this really written by a person? Even the system messages feel warmer than this.

‘The sender is the Larmin Viscount family… Chelsea’s family home.’

The moment I saw the family seal stamped on the envelope, everything made sense.

A normal family wouldn’t treat their married daughter like this—but the Larmin family was different.

Chelsea’s guardian and uncle, the Viscount Larmin, had abused her since she was very young.

The reason Chelsea entered a contract marriage with Marquis Graydan was to escape that household.

“‘The Marquis is looking for a woman who can act as his wife, correct? For the sake of the former Marchioness.’

‘And?’

‘If you agree to a contract marriage with me… I will live quietly as the Marchioness until your mother passes away. After that, I will not covet any title or wealth, and I will divorce you cleanly.’

‘And what do you gain from that?’

At the marquis’s cold question, Chelsea shrank her shoulders.

But soon, as if making up her mind, she spoke again.

‘My dowry. It’s the only property I can receive from the Larmin family. I’ll use it to become independent.’”

The Marquis Graydan, who wanted to fulfill his dying mother’s wish.

Chelsea, who could only receive her legally defined dowry due to being mistreated at home.

Their interests aligned—and so they entered a contract marriage.

‘As the marquis had hoped, his mother adored her new daughter-in-law. Chelsea also secured her dowry. The contract had already been fulfilled.’

As Chelsea had said, there was no longer any reason for their marriage to continue.

But the marquis, who had already fallen for her, refused to let her go.

Back when she first arrived, he treated her like an outsider and even dumped his sick mother on her—but now he was clinging to her?

A textbook regretful male lead.

So yes, I understand why she ran away from the marquis’s estate…

‘But I didn’t expect her to still be in contact with her family. Judging by these letters, this wasn’t the first time either.’

Even after securing her dowry, she kept in touch with them?

Why?

Wasn’t the whole point of her marriage to cut ties with that family?

So why would she keep corresponding with people she hated?

Deep in thought, I continued searching the room.

You have found 200 cash from ‘a ring gifted by the mother-in-law.’
You have found 100 cash from ‘a teacup the couple used together.’
You have found 200 cash from ‘cookies baked for the husband.’
You have found 200 cash from ‘the bathtub they used together.’
You have found 100 cash from ‘lotion with the husband’s favorite scent.’

I collected a total of 1500 cash from everywhere except the bedroom.

Aside from the letters from the Larmin family, nothing particularly suspicious stood out.

I thought maybe she was mistreated here too—but that didn’t seem to be the case.

If anything…

‘Weren’t they ridiculously close?! Is this really a contract marriage?’

They called it a contract, but they were basically living like newlyweds.

The evidence kept piling up—it was almost absurd.

Clicking my tongue, I headed into Chelsea’s bedroom.

“Once I finish searching here, I’m done with her room.”

There should be 1500 cash left hidden in here, which means there must be an important clue.

With that in mind, I began searching thoroughly.

You have found 200 cash from ‘the blanket they shared.’
You have found 200 cash from ‘a chair the husband brought while caring for me when I was sick.’
You have found 200 cash from ‘the window where we sat together watching the stars.’
You have found 100 cash from ‘a jewelry box left by the mother-in-law.’

…Okay.

I get it. You two were deeply in love.

Sharing a blanket, nursing each other when sick, watching the stars, even having a good relationship with the mother-in-law…

‘So unlike other regret stories, she wasn’t severely mistreated here.’

At this level, even if things started off badly, couldn’t she have lived somewhat comfortably?

Even if it was a contract marriage.

So why did Chelsea secretly stay in contact with her abusive family and run away from the warm marquis household?

…Well, I’ll probably find out once I gather more cash and read further.

Most visible places had been searched, but there was still 800 cash left.

As I reached under the bed to check more thoroughly, my fingers brushed against something.

You have found 800 cash from ‘a box containing ???.’

Warning! This item may threaten your life.
Danger Level: C+

…What? A threat to my life?

Startled by the sudden warning, I almost screamed.

Why is there a dangerous object hidden in the Marchioness’s room?

And wasn’t the room’s danger level D-? How does a C+ threat suddenly appear?!

…However, this item is not dangerous unless you perform a ‘specific action.’

If you return it after inspection, the area’s danger level will remain unchanged.

The system added an explanation, as if reading my thoughts.

‘Not dangerous unless I do something specific,’ huh.

So as long as I just take a look and put it back, it’s safe.

What kind of dangerous C+ item could be hidden in a noble lady’s room?

Holding my breath, I opened the box.

Inside was…

“…Seeds?”

I had been bracing myself for something like a monster jumping out—but it wasn’t anything like that.

Just unidentified seeds filled the box.

This is supposed to threaten my life?

What kind of dangerous action can you even do with seeds?

Maybe if you boil them, they turn into a deadly poison… or if you plant them, they grow into man-eating plants…

No matter how much I thought about it, those were the only possibilities.

I still didn’t have enough information—better gather more clues and think it through later.

I quietly placed the box back under the bed and finished my investigation.

Chelsea Graydan’s Room Cleared!

Through your investigation, you have learned that Chelsea had a fairly good relationship with the Marquis’s household.

However, it seems she was hiding a secret she could not reveal to anyone…

• Job experience has increased.

“Did you find everything you were looking for?”

When I stepped outside, the head butler asked gently.

“Yes, I’m done with the Marchioness’s room. Next…”

I trailed off, thinking.

The system said cash is hidden in places closely related to the request.

Maybe I should check the rooms of people close to Chelsea.

“I’d like to investigate the room where the former Marchioness stayed. Is that possible?”

The former Marchioness—Chelsea’s mother-in-law—had wished to see her son build a family.

Though she had passed away by now, she might have influenced Chelsea’s feelings.

“I see no problem with that. Please follow me.”

“Oh, and also…”

At my added request, the head butler turned back with a puzzled look.

“Would it be possible to see the Marquis’s room as well? I’ll only check the areas he shared with his wife, not his private space.”

I couldn’t ignore the male lead’s room—it was too important.

Even if it felt presumptuous, I had to ask.

“That would be…”

The butler looked troubled.

Understandably so.

Even if it was for the Marchioness, allowing access to the Marquis’s personal space wasn’t an easy decision.

“I will ask the Marquis first, but I cannot guarantee anything.”

“I understand it’s a difficult request. Even just confirming traces of the Marchioness with you present would be enough.”

“…Understood.”

At my persistent request, the butler finally nodded with a reluctant expression.